Darfur, Sudan: war crimes are being committed, says ICC
The UN Security Council gave the ICC a mandate to investigate and prosecute crimes in Darfur two decades ago, with the body opening multiple investigations into war crimes and genocide committed in the region from July 2002 onwards.The ICC launched a fresh probe in 2023 after civil war broke out once again, interviewing victims who had fled the most recent iteration of the conflict to neighbouring Chad. Ms Khan described an "inescapable pattern of offending", and stressed that the team were working to translate such crimes into evidence for the court. Allegations of war crimes have persisted throughout the past two years, and in January 2025 the US determined that the RSF and allied militias had committed a genocide. The RSF has denied the claims, and said it was not involved in what it describes as a "tribal conflict" in Darfur.
Reports from the UN indicate that conditions in Darfur have continued to worsen, with hospitals and humanitarian convoys suffering targeted attacks, and food and water deliberately withheld.Civilians in the capital city of El-Fasher have been cut off from aid entirely due to armed encirclement by RSF forces, and an outbreak of cholera across conflict zones poses a serious threat to already scarce water supplies.An escalating famine has gripped the region, with the UN's children's agency (Unicef) reporting that more than 40,000 children were admitted for treatment due to severe acute malnutrition between January and May 2025 – more than double the number admitted in the same period last year."Children in Darfur are being starved by conflict and cut off from the very aid that could save them," said Sheldon Yett from Unicef.In the past two years, more than 150,000 people have died in the conflict and approximately 12 million have fled their homes, but Ms Khan warned that "We should not be under any illusion - things can still get worse."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Israel-Hamas negotiations collapse
Talks to end the war in Gaza have collapsed, bringing to an end the longest round of negotiations since the war started in October 2023. On Thursday afternoon, Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had decided to withdraw its team from Qatar after studying Hamas's latest response to its proposals. The fresh negotiations were instigated in part due to significant pressure from Donald Trump, the US president, to reach a deal, following the perceived success of the Iran offensive in June. In recent days, leaks have suggested that the two sides were at loggerheads over the extent to which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from Gaza once a ceasefire began, and also how aid would be distributed. It comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating, with aid agencies warning of starvation and people 'collapsing' in the street. Both sides are facing huge pressure at home and abroad to reach a deal. Sources said Hamas still wants guarantees – despite guarantees from the White House – that Israel would not start fighting again after a 60-day initial ceasefire elapsed. The breakdown comes ahead of a huge protest in Tel Aviv calling on the Israeli government to end the war and secure the release of the remaining hostages. Around 20 are believed to be alive. An official in Mr Netanyahu's office said: 'In light of the response that Hamas gave this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team to continue consultations in Israel. We appreciate the efforts of the mediators Qatar and Egypt and the efforts of envoy Witkoff to bring about a breakthrough in the talks.' Another senior official said: 'Negotiations will continue, but there are serious differences and we face difficult decisions.' The statement came as Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump's Middle East envoy, held talks with Ron Dermer, Mr Netanyahu's right-hand man, and the Qatari prime minister in Sardinia. It prompted hope in Israel that a way forward could still be found, despite the lack of progress in Doha. Mr Trump is known to be impatient for the war to end. One Israeli source told Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster, that the momentum of negotiations remained 'positive' and that the withdrawal of the negotiators did not signify a total collapse of dialogue. However, another source said the talks were at an impasse. Axios reported sources as saying that Hamas was insisting on the release of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 200 serving life sentences, in return for the hostages. Earlier in the week, it had been reported that the sides had agreed on a lower number. Israeli sources said officials had told Mr Witkoff that Hamas's demands were 'unacceptable', but that they are not necessarily final. Dependent in his coalition on ultra-nationalist ministers who want to take over Gaza with Jewish settlements, Mr Netanyahu has been accused of continuing the war despite reported warnings from his generals that the military rationale is wearing thin.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Kenya protests: IPOA police watchdog blames deaths on 'disproportionate force'
Kenya's police watchdog has accused officers of using "disproportionate force" to quell a recent series of protests during which 65 people a report released on Thursday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) linked most of the deaths to actions by the also highlighted the role of opportunists who infiltrated the protests – described as "goons" – who "undermined the principles of peaceful assembly".Over the past six weeks, there have been four separate days of demonstrations which were called over police brutality and anger at government policies. The first in the capital, Nairobi – on 12 June – was "largely peaceful", the Ipoa report says. It followed the death in custody of a young teacher and blogger, Albert Ojwang, which the police initially said was a result of self-inflicted then three police officers have been charged with his murder. Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trialIs William Ruto the most disliked president in Kenya's history?Mother mourns 'beautiful' 12-year-old shot while watching TV during Kenya protests A second protest on 17 June led to the shooting at point-blank range of one civilian, street vendor Boniface Kariuki, who later died. An officer has been charged in connection with the on 23 June, a protest was called to mark a year since deadly anti-government demonstrations broke out over tax rises, which were later reversed. The Ipoa report says that 23 people died in different parts of the country on that fourth day – 7 July – saw the biggest loss of life with 41 people the four days, the watchdog also documented 342 injuries to civilians and 171 injuries to police, along with looting and vandalism targeting businesses, police stations and government Ipoa says its monitors saw "significant breaches of constitutional policing standards, including use of disproportionate force, lack of professionalism, and failure to uphold public safety and rights".Responding to the violence in the wake of the 7 July demonstrations, President William Ruto ordered police to shoot protesters targeting businesses in the legs, ensuring they were incapacitated but not killed."Anyone caught burning another person's business or property should be shot in the leg, hospitalised, and later taken to court. Don't kill them, but ensure their legs are broken," the president June, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen denied the police had used excessive force and described the protests as "terrorism disguised as dissent" and an "unconstitutional attempt" to change the groups have condemned the government's response to the protests, accusing the authorities of allowing and at times encouraging the use of deadly force against demonstrators. You may also be interested in: BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersWhy Kenya's president has so many nicknamesFour Kenyan police officers charged over baby's killing as others freedNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Netherlands with 40 other OSCE countries ask probe into Russia's POW treatment
AMSTERDAM, July 24 (Reuters) - The Netherlands and 40 other OSCE member states have formally called for an independent investigation into the alledged torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on social media platform X on Thursday. "By invoking this so-called 'Moscow Mechanism', the Netherlands and partnering countries contribute to truth-finding and accountability for Russian war crimes in Ukraine", he said, without specifing which other countries had joined the request. The OSCE is an organization of 57 countries that includes former Cold War foes the United States and Russia as well as various countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America.
